Marauder Girl
by MississippiGirl13
Summary: What if Remus had a daughter? And what if his daughter was also bitten by a werewolf and given the curse that has ruined Remus’ life since he was but a child? What if this girl turns out to have the heart of a marauder? What will Hogwarts be like now? bk
1. Prologue

**Summary:** What if Remus had a daughter? And what if his daughter was also bitten by a werewolf and given the curse that has ruined Remus' life since he was but a child? What if this girl turns out to have the heart of a marauder? What will Hogwarts be like now?

**AN: **Okay, so this story just sorta came to me last night cause I was really bored, and now I already have a little less than sixteen pages, so yeah, I'm very proud of myself. Anyway, I'm hoping to actually stick to this story, and so far I'm really interested in it. However, if I start not posting for a long time, I want someone to PM me and tell me to get a move on, k? okay, so here is the prologue, and Chapter 1 will be up real quick. I really like this story so far, and I hope you peoples do too! R&R!

**Prologue**

Rain pounded down on me as I ran, slipping and sliding in the mud. Tears streamed down my face, and I prayed to the gods that they may save me. They wouldn't come to my rescue, however, and I knew this for a fact as I felt the razor sharp teeth snap down on my hand, and sharp claws and huge paws push me to the ground, pinning me down. I have a strangled cry as the teeth bit into my flesh, scraping the bones beneath. I looked up into the eyes of the monster who had me pinned, my eyes wide and scared. Its eyes were yellow, and full of blood lust. He released my hand, licking my blood off of his lips. My eyes were wide with terror, and with a hungry growl he moved down to bite my neck.

An earsplitting snarl ripped through the air, and a body collided with the monster on top of me. I gave a small scream and watched as two monsters battled one another. The beast that had saved me was on top of the other. They rolled around, biting and scratching each other. I pushed away, my back hitting a tree, and watched the battle, too fearful to have enough sense to run. The battle was long and bloody, but finally one of the wolves let out a dieing howl, going limp. The wolf that lived looked at me with sad, blue eyes, and I knew that I was safe.

The night went slowly, with the wolf curled around me, licking my wound as I mended his. It seemed like forever before the first ray of light shone on us. The wolf beside me slowly morphed, and shifted back into his human form. He was weak now, bloody and hurt, but he held me close, mourning for _my_ loss. As I felt tears hit my skin, my own tears slowly slipped through my mask, and I cried into his chest as he held me, stroking my hair and crying into the top of my head.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He whispered into my hair, holding me tight to his chest.

I held tight to him, crying into his care chest, feeling my hand throb. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I knew I wasn't s'pose to come out, but Checkers ran off, and I had to find him…" I was ramblings, and he hushed me, rocking me slightly.

"Shhh, hush child. We need to get home. Your mother will be worried." He pulled back slightly to look me in the eye, and I gave a small nod.

We arrived home to find my mother pacing the house, distraught with fear and worry. She had tears running down her face, and when she saw my hand fresh ones streaked her face. My father mended me up and sent me to bed, and that's when I heard the yelling. My mother accused my father of biting me, for she was far too distraught to be thinking clearly. The yelling lasted for what seemed like hours, until she just settled with crying. He had convinced her it hadn't been him, and now they were both wallowing in misery. I knew that things were going to change, and I could already feel myself changing. My life had changed in seconds, right before my eyes. I just hadn't realized just what that meant yet.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN:** I told you it would be up quick! Didn't I tell you? okay, so maybe it wasn't as quick as it would have been if i hadn't put the prologue on twice... mutters darkly about own stupidity thank you surferchick55 for telling me about that minor little detail... K, I have nothing else to say, so just enjoy the chapter. R&R!

**Chapter 1**

It was the first day of school. I was terrified, yet jumping with excitement. Mum was chasing me around the house, trying to calm me down, while Dad was loading the car up with my trunk. Mum finally calmed me down enough to get me to eat my breakfast, though I only got a few mouthfuls in before I was up and running around again, searching to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I could see that both my parents were scared for me, but I felt that if I showed my excitement that it might reassure them. I couldn't tell if it helped any.

When the finally set out, she could feel her excitement going down, and being replaced with fear and nervousness. She looked up at her father, and he glanced back at her using that rearview mirror.

"Buck up, sweetheart. Hogwarts is great." He tried to reassure.

Mum reached back and patted my knee, "You'll do fine. You're so smart; you'll likely be at the top of your class!"

I shrugged, thinking how that would be unlikely. Sure, I studied and learned quickly, but I wasn't that smart. Besides, how was I going to cope with school all the time, what with my transformations? I always felt horrible afterwards, and Mum and Dad always let me take it easy for a few days after. Now, however, I would have to pretend like nothing was wrong, and go on with my life, living a lie.

We arrived at Kings Cross not long after, and Dad helped me take my trunk, and Checkers, my old, yet still troublesome cat. Mum had ordered me to keep him under lock and key in my dorm, wherever that might be. I told her I would try, but reminded her that he had a mind of his own, and never did as he was told. We put my things in an compartment, then went back out to say goodbye to my parents.

"Bye Mummy." I said in a very childish voice, not used to ever leaving her. She was always there, and now I was suddenly not going to see her for almost a year. I hugged her tight, and she hugged me right back, whispering into my ear to behave, and to never give up hope. She also told me to make lots of friends, to write home often, and to not cause trouble. She finally pulled back, taking out her hankerchif, bringing it to her face as tears started to fall.

I next turned to my father, who was giving me a small, sad smile. I jumped into his arms, and he pulled me into his arms, hugging me and rocking me slightly. My mind flashed back to that night, and how he held me and protected me from everything and everyone. I held him tighter than ever, and he kissed the top of my head.

"Say hello to Professor McGonagall for me, and don't cause _too_ much trouble." He said, setting me down. I nodded, sniffing slightly. He wiped away a tear that had escaped with his thumb, holding my face in his two hands. He had knelt down, and was looking up at me now.

"What if someone finds out?" I asked softly, scared of the possibility.

He gave a small smile, "They won't, dearheart. I promise you, as long as I live, you will be safe. I'll protect you."

"But you're not going to be there." I sniffed.

"That doesn't madder. If it comes down to it all storm the castle and save you from them all. But, of course, I won't have to. You'll have Dumbledore there, and he'll watch over you." He gave me a wolfish grin, "Now, let's see a smile before you go, shall we?"

I gave him a watery grin, and he grinned bigger, "That's the smile I wanted to see." He pulled me close again for one last hug, "Now go, before the train drives off with all your stuff." I nodded, gave Mum another hug, and then hurried onto the train, poking my head out the window and waving to my parents as the train started off. Dad was holding Mum, and they were both waving, Mum waving with her hankie still in hand, it flying in the air like a flag of surrender. I saw a single tear roll down Dad's cheek before the train turned a corner, and they were gone.

I went back to my compartment to see that another person was now sitting in it. A girl with frizzy unruly brown hair had a book spread out across her lap, reading it earnestly. Upon my entrance she looked up from the large book, her eyes curious. When her eyes landed on me she gave me a small smile.

"You must be," she paused, glancing up at my trunk, "R.L.?"

I nodded, "Rudi Lupin, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Hermione Granger." She said matter-of-factly.

I sat down across from her, looking out at the land, before back at her and the book in her lap. "So… what are you reading?"

She looked back up, then down at her book, "Hogwarts: A History."

"Is it any good? I haven't gotten around to reading that one yet. I was far too entranced by the Potions book, much to Dad's dismay."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows, "But from what I've read of Potions it's a quite interesting and fascinating subject."

I grinned, "Oh, it is, my father openly admits it. It's just… the professor who teaches the subject isn't on friendly terms with my Dad. They didn't like each other during their schooling days, plus my Dad was the smartest in nearly every class, but Professor Snape beat him in Potions."

We both laughed. I felt that I could find a friend in this girl, and I hoped she felt the same way. Before we could say more the compartment door opened, and a boy walked in. he had light brown, perhaps dark blond hair, and was slightly larger, though mostly from leftover baby fat.

"Can I sit in here?" he questioned.

"Of course." Hermione said.

He nodded and moved inside. When he had trouble lifting his trunk into the luggage bin Hermione and I both stood and helped him. He flopped down with a sigh, then gave us both a shy smile.

"I'm Neville Longbottom by the way."

I smiled sadly as I remembered what my father had told me of the Longbottoms'. They had been tourchered into insanity. From what I had learned, Neville now lived with his grandmother. I made sure not to mention this, however. Nobody should know about family secrets unless you want them to.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Rudi Lupin." Hermione gestured to me.

I had pulled Checkers out of his carrier while helping Neville, and so patted him and said in a goofy voice you usually use with animals and babies, "And this is Checkers."

Hermione, who just noticed the black and white cat, visibly softened at the sight of the cat and moved to sit beside me, stroking him and cooing. He accepted the attention with glee.

"Oh no, where's Trevor?" Neville gasped, looking around anxiously.

We turned to him, "Who?" we asked in union.

"My toad. He was just here, and now he's gone!"

"I'll help look for him. I'm sure if we look in the other compartments and ask around we'll find him somewhere." I suggested.

Hermione nodded, "I agree."

Neville gave us a grateful smile, and then we all set out to find the missing toad, even Checkers, who I did not trust to be left in our compartment on his own. Neville too the middle compartment closest to ours, Hermione took the ones in the front, and Checkers and I took the ones in the back. I started with the very last one, and the first compartment door I opened showed a group of slightly intimidating first years. Two were bulky, gorilla like boys, another was a smaller, blond boy, and then a brunette girl who resembled a pug.

"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one." I held Checkers close, for he was squirming in my arms, apparently not liking the girl who looked like a pug.

The blond boy looked up at me with cold eyes, "Why would I have seen a toad? Do you think I go around, looking for lost animals every moment? Or ever?"

My eyebrows shot up in surprised, but then my eyes narrowed. "Well, excuse me, your royal arseness." I forged a deep bow, and when the two cronies moved to come after me I slapped the compartment door on one of their hands, hearing the gorilla's loud yell of pain. Quick as a fox I jumped into the next compartment, slamming the door shut quickly. I turned to see I was in a compartment with older students. Two looked identical, with fiery red hair, while another had dark skin and hair. They had been talking enthusiastically about something, but upon my entrance they looked up, slightly startled at the loud slam.

"Err—sorry, uh, have any of you seen a toad?" I questioned, then dove down as the sound of pounding feet came into earshot. The boys looked quite amused, and Checkers gave a hiss of protest and pulled away, jumping up into one of the redhead's lap. He looked at the cat, then at me with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, sorry…" I said, moving away from the door and taking him into my arms again, giving him a soothing pat.

"You haven't even reached Hogwarts and you've already caused trouble, firstie." The other redhead boy said.

I smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, well, he had it coming to him." I said in defense for myself, not wanting to look like a total troublemaker.

"Oh, and who might this 'him' be?" the other redhead questioned.

I shrugged, "Didn't catch his name, just some stuck-up blonde."

The dark boy laughed, "She seems to have some potential." He commented.

The other redheaded boys nodded, identical smirks on their faces. I gave them a timid smile before backing away back towards the compartment door, "Well, I have to find that, uh, toad. Uh, bye."

As I opened the door one of the redheaded boys called out, "Hope you're in Gryffindor!"

I looked both ways before moving on to the next compartment, making sure that the blond boy and his little posse weren't around. I wasn't scare of them, I just didn't want to get in any trouble before the first day of classes.

I searched the whole back of the train and came up with nothing on the lost toad. Upon returning to my compartment I saw that the other two had already changed into their robes, and had also not found the toad. I gave Checkers to Hermione and changed into my robes. Shortly after finishing we were pulling into the train station. We moved out together, I having left Checkers in his carrybag to be taken with the luggage, much to his displeasure.

"Firs' 'ears! Firs' 'ears over here!" a loud, booming voice yelled over everyone. I looked around until my eyes landed on the large man, who I had known since before I could walk as Hagrid. He was the gamekeeper, and brilliant at his job as well.

Upon reaching him I heard him say something to a black haired boy, "Why, 'ello there 'Arry." And the boy greeted him warmly. Upon seeing me he gave me a large smile, one that he had reserved for me since I was just a little girl.

"Rudi!" he exclaimed, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. I hugged him back, tapping his arm three times, a jester that we had come up with to tell him when he was hugging me too hard. He pulled back and looked me over.

"Why, 'ou've grown so big since I last be seein' ya." He declared, and I grinned, shrugging. "One of these days 'ou'll be taller than me!"

I shook my head, "No, I don't think I could ever be taller than you." He grinned, nodding in agreement.

"Right then, firs' 'ears, common then."

Hermione pulled on my sleeve and looked at me with wide eyes, "You _know_ him!?"

I smiled and nodded, "Oh yeah, I've known Hagrid since before I could walk. Actually, now that I think about it, I think he was there when I learned to walk… or maybe that was Dumbledore… no, Dumbledore was there when I said my first word. Nobody will let me live that down, considering I said ''emondop', which supposedly was supposed to mean 'lemon drop'."

She looked at me blankly, and I laughed, "Professor Dumbledore is well known for his love of candies, especially lemon drops."

"But you actually _know_ Professor Dumbledore?" she asked in astonishment, and perhaps envy.

I nodded, "He's very nice, and quite easy to talk to. He's the most brilliant wizard in all of history, but can actually act like quite a child at times."

By now we had reached the boats, which we climbed into. I turned to Hermione, and we said at the same time, "Did you know that the Black Lake has a giant squid in it?" we looked at each other for a few moments before bursting out laughing. Neville, who had heard our statement now looked at the murky water with fearful eyes. I patted him on the soulder reassuringly, and he gave me a small, scared smile.

"Don't worry, Neville. The squid is harmless, really. People go swimming and fall into the lake all the time, and the squid has never done a thing to them, other than maybe tickle them or try to get into some sort of game because he was bored. I think he's just lonely."

"That's a load of rubbish. Its evil and wants to eat you." The person who sat in front of us turned, and my eyes widened a little as my warm brown eyes met the cold gray of the boy I had been running from on the train. His eyes widened as he realized the same thing, and he smirked, thinking he had the upper hand. Instead, I put up my brave front.

"No, actually, he truly is quite kind. It's the grindylows you need to worry about. If one of those get a hold of you they'll drag you down and drown you." Upon seeing Neville's terrified eyes I added soothingly, "But they never leave the seaweed, and stay close to the bottom." He calmed.

The boy narrowed his eyes, "Oh yeah? Well I dare you do jump in, and then we'll see what the squid does."

Hermione grabbed my arm, "Don't! the water will freeze you for sure, and what if he's right, and the squid really is vicious?"

I shook my head, "That's a load of rubbish. He's kind, I'm telling you." I turned back to the boy with a glint in my eye, "What do I get if I do it?"

He seemed surprised that I was even considering this, "You'll have the satisfaction of proving me wrong."

I laughed mockingly, "Oh, right. If I wanted that I could just throw you in."

He seemed quite affronted, "Fine, I'll give you ten gallons."

I considered the dare for a few moment, "Okay, how long do I have to stay in?"

"Two minutes."

I grinned, and glanced up at Hagrid, and the space we had left. It was a good five minute ride still. I could just swim alongside the boat, and we wouldn't even loose any time. with one last quick glance at Hagrid I pulled off my robe, my shoes, and my socks, and jumped into the water.

I sunk a short ways, but before I could go very far down I kicked my legs until I reached the surface once again. I felt as though someone was stabbing me with pins because of the cold, but I wasn't about to get out. Everyone had turned to look at me, and Hagrid looked as though he was about to die.

"Rudi, ge' back in the boat!" he called.

I shook my head, "No, sir, I'm staying in for two minutes."

"Rudi…" he called in a warning tone, but I ignored him, keeping an even pace with the boats, so that even if they wanted to stop, they wouldn't, for they didn't want to leave me all alone.

"You're insane, get back in the boat now." Hermione demanded.

"Nope, I'm going to prove him," I shot a look at the blond, "wrong."

"When your parents hear about this…" Hagrid muttered, having made his boat move closer to me.

"Dad will laugh and Mum will be angry for a day or so but forget about it soon after."

"This i'nt funny, Rudi! 'Ou could 'et sick!" Hagrid said.

"Hermione, what's the time?"

She gave a loud sigh, but looked at her watch, "You've been in for a minute."

I nodded, "One more to go then."

Neville was looking at me with wide, idolizing eyes. I gave him a small wink before I was pulled under. I could hear people screaming, and I looked down to see a grindylow holding my leg. My eyes widened, and I kicked at it. It refused to let loose, however, and just when I thought it was going to pull me within reach of all its awaiting friends a large tentacle shot out, knocking it away, then pushing me up to the surface. I gasped for breath, coughing up water, but I did not get out of the water. People started yelling and pointing as they saw the tentacle, and Hagrid tried to pull me out, but I pushed him away.

"Time?" I managed to gasp out.

"It's been three minutes, Rudi! You've won! Now _get out_!" Hermione demanded, panicking. I coughed, reached down, and patted the tentacle affectionately before I let Hagrid pull me out. He scolded me, as I accepted my robe, socks, and shoes from Hermione, who was barley reaching, in fear of falling into the water. I leaned dangerously forward, and Hagrid had to grab me before I fell back in. I slipped my socks, shoes, and robe back on, and accepted Hagrid's large coat, which made me look like a small toddler, but I didn't care. It was warm, and that's all that mattered to me.

"You're father is going to skin my hide for even letting you stay in the water for a second, let alone three whole minutes! You nearly died, you stupid girl!" Hagrid fretted.

I smiled up at him, "I'll send him a letter explaining myself. Besides, he knows how I am."

Hagrid wasn't convinced, but we had reached the shore by now and now had to help the other first year out of the boats, so let the subject drop. For the moment, anyway…

"Where'd that blond boy go?" I asked Neville, and he pointed to the boy, where he stood behind his cronies, obviously trying to hide.

I waltzed right up to him and crossed my arms, "Okay, your royal arseness," the cronies cracked their knuckles and I looked at them with amused eyes, "down doggies." I looked back at the blonde, "Now then, I believe you owe me ten gallons, or if we looked at it logically, you own me fifteen gallons, five for each minute. I'll be generous though and just take ten."

He looked at me, "What kind of girl are you exactly? Because most girls wouldn't just almost die and then demand some stupid bet money. You should just be grateful to be alive."

I shrugged, "I knew the squid would save me if anything like that happened."

"You did?"

I nodded, "Yep. Like I said, he's really quite kind." I held out my hand, "Now, how about those gallons?"

He sighed and pulled out the money, dropping it into my hand. I examined the money before looking up at him with fiery eyes, "Sorry, buddy, but I wasn't born yesterday. This is obviously fake." Neville took the money, and after several moments of observing it he gasped.

"If he had given this to me I wouldn't have even noticed! How did you know?"

"I don't trust people who dare others to do something that they know could cause them to die." I said, glaring at the boy and his henchmen.

The boy huffed and took out another ten gallons, which I examined and saw that it was, in fact, real. I stuffed it into my pocket, saluted him, and turned, following Hagrid and the others up to the castle. I could hear him muttering behind me, and I smirked despite myself. I could just hear my father "you just nearly died and you're smirking because you won a bet!" he would, of course, pretend to be furious, but in reality he would be very proud. After all, we both knew that the giant squid was as harmless as a newborn kitten.

As we entered the building two boys came bouncing to my side. "How wicked was that?! You just jumped in the lake, beat a grindylow, petted the giant squid, _and_ pissed off Malfoy!" he was a redheaded boy, with lots of freckles. Beside him was the Harry boy Hagrid had said hello to earlier.

I shrugged, "Welcome to the life of Rudi Lupin."

They both grinned, "You should meet my brothers, Fred and George. I think you'd get on with them well."

I studied the redhead for a moment, "Do they have fiery red hair, lots of freckles, and look exactly alike?"

He nodded, and I smiled, "We already met, just after I royally infuriated that Malfoy fellow and his two cronies."

Harry gapped at me, "You mean you did it more than once?"

I nodded, "Oh yeah, I also won ten gallons off of him, and saw through his little trick of trying to give me fake money."

The redhead laughed out loud, obviously very pleased. He grinned widely, "I'm Ron Wesley by the way."

"And I'm Harry Potter." The Harry guy said, and I gave them both wide smiles.

"Nice to meet you both, though I think I've heard enough from my father about you two to last me a lifetime."

Confused expressions crossed their faces, and I explained, "My father and your fathers all worked together during their younger years." I turned to Harry, "Our fathers went to school together, and were best mates. They made a world of trouble for all the professors." She then turned to Ron, "And like I said, my father worked with your father and mother during his younger days, and he also watched your older siblings once, though quickly resigned to just visits after that."

They both looked shocked to say the least, especially Harry. Finally, he spoke. "Your father knew my father?"

I nodded, "Yes, and you and I knew each other too as babies, though obviously we wouldn't remember. My father was the one that helped your father from failing all his classes, for he and the other two were far too interested in making trouble to do their studies first."

"And your dad knows my parents?" Ron asked.

"Yes, he does. Though, they haven't been in touched for," I paused, remembering when they finally lost connection, and the reasoning for it, "well, for a very long time."

"Why don't I remember you then?"

I smiled sadly, "We were still young, and my parents always kept me on a short chain, very attached to me. I never really saw people my own age, though I did see Hagrid, and even Dumbledore on occasion."

Both their mouths dropped, "You actually know Dumbledore? Personally?" Ron gapped.

I sighed, "Why is everyone so amazing about me knowing Dumbledore? He's just like everyone else, and it isn't like I'm the only person in the world who knows him."

"Yeah, but he's also the most brilliant wizard alive." Ron stated.

"Just imagine him on his _good_ days…" I muttered sarcastically.

"Rudi, what house do you think you'll be in?" Hermione asked, coming to stand next to me. Ron made a face of distaste and I raised my eyebrows, challenging him to say something. He stayed silent. I tuned back to Hermione and gave her a smile.

"I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind being in any of the houses, really."

Ron gasped, "Even Slytherin?"

I turned to him, "What's so wrong with Slytherin?"

"What's wrong with it? It's the house You-Know-Who was in!"

I sighed, "And its that sort of prejudice that has made the world what it is today. Really, do you think that everyone who goes into that house will end up bad?"

"Yes." He muttered.

"You are very narrow-minded then, aren't you?" I retorted. I turned back to Hermione, "What house do you think you'll be in?"

"I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor, though Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad either." She said, obviously thinking back to Hogwarts: A History.

I sighed, "You know, just about everyone wants to be in Gryffindor. Its always Gryffindor or Slytherin. Its good that you wouldn't mind Ravenclaw, but how many people do you know that have those two houses as their first choices?"

All three were silent, and I could tell they were all shying away from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Ron Wesley would never be smart enough to even be considered a Ravenclaw, so the only way he couldn't be disappointed would be if he was put into Gryffindor. Hermione would likely be perfect for all of the houses, though less likely to be a Slytherin. She was smart, but not sneaky enough. Harry, however, from what I'd seen of him, had potential for all of the houses, though not so much with Ravenclaw. I personally had no idea where I would fit. Gryffindor, maybe, for that was where my father had been. I might also fit into Ravenclaw, for I was smart, and my mother had been one. There was also Hufflepuff, for the loyal and honest. On a second thought I quickly ruled that out. I was not the most honest of people, though I was loyal. Slytherin was also a possibility, for I was quite sneaky and a huge troublemaker. My father often commented that my motto was "Rules were made to me broken." It's a good motto…

By now we were waiting outside the large doors, and I was shivering slightly. It was cold, and I was still dripping wet from my little swim. I was starting to regret it, but then again, every time I looked at Malfoy and so his angry face I changed my mind and decided it was totally worth it. After all, its not every day you get to royally peeve a stuck-up pureblood. But now that there was one on had ever day perhaps that would change…

Professor McGonagall was talking, telling them how the sorting would go, and then they were walking into the Great Hall. My heart leapt, and I grabbed Hermione's sleeve. She glanced at me, and we exchanged excited glances before we entered. I looked up at the ceiling, my eyes wide as I saw the many stars.

"Its not really the sky you know." Hermione commented, "It's just a charm. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."

I glanced at her, then back up at it, "Who cares if it's just a charm? It's bloody brilliant!" I said, grinning from ear to ear. She nodded in agreement, though looked slightly affronted that I didn't care about the information she had learned from the book. I shrugged if off, however. I read the books, but I, unlike her, didn't recite everything I learned word for word. I would have to fix that, otherwise more people like that Ron fellow might come along, and I couldn't very well put them all in their place, now could I?

We stood in the front of the hall, all looking at the stool and hat that sat atop it. I felt so excited, but I also felt apprehensive. As soon as I was sorted there was no turning back. I was going to be a Hogwarts student until either I graduated or I was chased out by angry parents who didn't want to endanger their children. Sure, my father had made it, but he also had three friends who helped him through it all. So far I had no one other than the redhead doof, The Chosen One, and the bookworm who would likely discover the secret herself. There was also, of course, Neville, the toad boy, but he seemed far too skittish to ever confine in about this sort of thing.

"Abbott, Hannah." The voice of Professor McGonagall called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. The sorting had begun.

Hannah Abbott was sorted into Hufflepuff, and the girl after her, Susan Bone, was also in Hufflepuff. After those two was Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst, who were both Ravenclaws. Next was a girl named Lavender Brown, who was the first Gryffindor. After her was a girl by the name of Millicent Bulstrode, who was a Slytherin. Next was two boys, Michael Corner and Stephen Cornfoot, who were both Ravenclaws. The person who came next was one of that Malfoy fellow's little cronies, Vincent Crabbe, who was placed into Slytherin, and quickly following was Tracey Davis. After Tracey was a boy who was put into Ravenclaw, a boy who was placed into Hufflepuff, a boy by the name of Seamus Finnigan who was placed into Gryffindor, some Goldstein fellow who was a Ravenclaw, and then Malfoy's other crony, Gregory Goyle.

Finally, one of my "friends" was called. Hermione almost ran to the hat, and jammed it onto her head. Ron muttered behind me to Harry, "Mental, that one, I'm telling you," Causing me to turn and punch him in the shoulder. I turned back to the front to see Professor McGonagall place the hat onto the girl's head, and when it yelled out GRYFFINDOR! She smiled brightly, while Ron groaned behind me.

After Hermione came a girl by the name of Daphne Greengrass, who was placed into Slytherin, and after her was a boy and a girl, both of who were placed into Hufflepuff. After that was a girl named Su Li, and she was a quick Ravenclaw. I gulped, for we were now in the L's, meaning I could very easily be next. However, I wasn't. Neville was. I watched him go, looking as though he were about to faint. He glanced back at me and I gave him a reassuring smile, winking slightly, and he nodded, remembering how I had survived the grindylow. If I could do that, then he could make it through the sorting. When the hat yelled out Gryffindor I gave him a wide grin. He had gotten what he wanted, and I was happy for him.

"Lupin, Rudi." Professor McGonagall called, and I snapped my gaze up to her. She gave me one of her rare smiles, and I returned it, moving up the steps to the stool. As she went to put the hat on my head I said softly how my father had said hi. She nodded and placed the hat on my head, washing my world into darkness.

_Ah, Miss Lupin, daughter of Remus Lupin and formerly Joan McGregor. Hmm, you have a lot of your father in you… in more than just looks and attitude as well I see…_ I shifted uncomfortably, knowing he was referring to my, err, furry problem. _Very brave, but also quite a troublemaker. You trust your instincts rather than your brain, which could lead to careless judgment. You have your mother's smarts, however, and quick witt, if only you would use it for good… well, I know where I'll place you then…_ "GRYFFINDOR!"

I jumped slightly at his loud outburst, but let the professor take the hat off of my head. I sent it a glare for saying I had careless judgment, but other than that I felt fine. I walked over to the table with all of the screaming members, and sat towards the front, next to Neville and across from Hermione. Fred and George weren't far off, and they gave me some thumbs up. I couldn't hold back a grin, but then quickly turned back to the front to watch the other students get sorted.

"Malfoy, Draco." I stuffled a laugh into my robe sleeve. What kind of name was _Draco_? He glanced my way and sent me a small glare before moving to the front. The had barely touched his head before it screamed out SLYTHERIN. I felt a chill go through me, and I feared that this boy might be one of those boys that Ron had talked about. I hoped not, for nobody should go down such a dark path, but the way the hat didn't even hesitate, and barley even thought chilled me to the bone.

After Draco was a kid named Morag McDougal, who was sorted into Ravenclaw. Then came a set of twins, one of which was put into Ravenclaw, while the other went into Gryffindor. Then we heard the name that everyone had been holding their breathes for. "Potter, Harry." Harry moved forward, glancing back at everyone as we all went quiet. The hat was placed onto his head, and I saw his eyes shut, and his lips move, forming words he must have been muttering to the hat. He started looking around, frightened it almost seemed like, then shook his head and continued his muttering. Finally, it yelled out GRIFFINDOR and I saw him give a sigh of relief, while the whole Gryffindor table cheered loudly, chanting "We got Potter!" over and over.

After him was a boy named Dean, who was also a Gryffindor, a girl named Lisa Turpin, a Ravenclaw, and finally there were only two people left. One was Ron, and the other was a dark skinned Italian boy. Ron was called up, and he looked very nervous. After the hat was sat on his head he jumped, looking startled, before it screamed out GRYFFINDOR, and he gave a sigh of relief, while his brothers screamed loudly, cheering him on. I could see another redhead boy, obviously one of his elder brothers. The Italian boy, who was named Blaise Zabini was called up and he was placed in Slytherin. There were many other students between all the ones I mentioned, ones that I didn't notice because I was too tuned out of the world, but the fact that I even remember those few is a miracle in itself. I am not known for my good memory.

Dumbledore spoke a few words, mentioning not to go to the 4th floor unless we wished to die a slow and painful death. He also told us that the Forbidden Forest was, indeed, forbidden, and to stay out of it. I believe he glanced at me when saying this, giving me a twinkling glance, and I grinned sheepishly. He also glanced at the twins, which caused me to grin widely. I had been known to usually try and explore things that were forbidden. Obviously the twins were as well. Finally, with the last words of, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" food appeared.

"Is he—a bit mad?" Harry asked Ron's older brother, who I had learned was named Percy.

"Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"

I laughed slightly. Percy seemed so different from his three brothers, but then again all siblings were usually different.

Suddenly I heard the voice of a man mumbling to Harry, "That does look good." He sounded as though he were longing to eat some.

I looked over as Harry began to ask, "Can't you—"

The ghost he was addressing interrupted, "I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years. I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? I'm Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

Ron suddenly spoke out, pointing at him and saying excitedly, "I know who you are! My brothers' told me about you—you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would _prefer_ you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy—" Seamus Finnigan interrupted him however.

"_Nearly_ headless? How can you be _nearly_ headless?" I felt a grin growing on my face, for my parents had told me about him too, and I knew how he would answer that question.

He looked very miffed, obviously not liking how the conversation had turned. "Like _this_." He said irritably, pulling on his ear so that his head fell onto his shoulder, like it was on a hinge. Everyone's faces went white and very stiff, while I just grinned. He flipped his head back into it's proper place.

"Wicked." I breathed, and he shot me a glance. I grinned up at him, and I let the grin drop, "It's horrible that they didn't cut it completely off, though. My Dad said the other headless ghosts wont let you participate in the headless hunt because of it."

He nodded, looking disappointed, but brightened up quickly to continue the conversation, turning it into a direction that had less to do with him. "So—new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable—he's the Slytherin ghost."

After that the conversation turned in different a direction. I didn't mind it so much, but I could tell poor Harry was very uncomfortable. Seamus explained how his father was a muggle, and how his mother didn't tell him she was a witch until after they were married, which caused everyone to laugh. Neville lived with his grandmother, and his whole family feared he wouldn't be magical enough to get into Hogwarts. Hermione was talking animatedly with Percy about school, and so Harry and I sat, listening to the conversations like outsiders.

"What about you, Rudi?" Neville asked, trying to get me into the conversation.

I shrugged, "I live with my parents, I'm an only child, and I've caused my father to gray early from all my crazy adventures. Same old, same old." They laughed.

"What blood are you?" Seamus asked, and I shot him a look, "Not that it matters or anything. I'm just wondering." He added hastily.

"I… I'm not pureblood." I said, not sure what I was. Both of my parents were purebloods, but having werewolf blood running through my veins made me unsure. "I'm not entirely sure what I am." I finally voiced, "I don't know much of my past." That was a lie, but I couldn't tell them my real reasoning for being unsure, could I?

"I know the feeling." Harry said softly to me, so only I could hear. I gave him a soft smile, and my heart ached. Now I just felt awful. I hadn't even realized that my lie might affect Harry.

"You sure do know a lot of other people's pasts." Ron accused.

"That is because of my father. He only told me stories of things that happened to him during his own childhood. He didn't know his family very well, so could tell me virtually nothing about his parents, and my mother was an orphan, raised by muggles, so she doesn't know what she is either." That was half true. My father's family didn't like to be around him because of his 'furry' problem, and my mother had been an orphan, and had been raised by muggles, but she had known that she was a pureblood because she wasn't orphaned until she was six.

The redhead had the decency to at least look ashamed, which he should. Sure, I was lying, but if I had been someone else who wasn't lying, he could very easily hurt that person. He needed to learn to keep his ruddy mouth _shut_.

Dinner went on for what seemed like forever, and yet I wished that the night would never end. I felt like I was in my element, and I was sure that everyone else were enjoying themselves as well. It was magical, this place, both literally and imaginary. I felt accepted for the first time in my life, and so I felt that I had to protect my secret even more. If anyone ever discovered the truth… well, this would all be ruined. For the first time, I finally understood why my parents isolated me for so long. They feared I would slip up to someone, and thus ruin my life more than I already had. I would have to thank them wholeheartedly.

However, the evening did indeed end, and after singing the school song we headed up to Gryffindor Tower. On the way, we met a quite interesting fellow. I noticed a swarm of walking sticks hovering in the air, and I stopped. Hermione followed my gaze, and she too stopped. Soon, we were all looking up at it. Slowly Percy moved forward, and the swarm started to throw themselves at him.

"Peeves, a poltergeist." He said in a soft voice before raising his voice, "Peeves—show yourself."

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a small man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Ooooooooooooh!" he said with a evil cackle, "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" he swooped down and we all dove down. Well, almost all of us.

"Hello there, Peeves, what a pleasure to meet you." I said in a cheery voice. Everyone looked at me as if I was insane, including Peeves. I thought him to be quite charming.

"Ickle Firsty got nerves." Peeves cackled.

"My name is Rudi, actually, Rudi Lupin, but if you want to call me 'Ickle Firsty' I guess I'll survive." I said, smiling up at him.

"Loony, loopy Lupin." He sang, looking at me expectantly.

I paused, pondering it over, "Hmm, I admit I may be a little loony, and even loopy if you give me enough candy… especially chocolate." I added with a grin.

He looked at me blankly for a few moments, and everything was quiet as we looked at each other, me grinning, him looking at me in astonishment.

I glanced at my watch, then at Percy, before giving Peeves an apologetic smile, "Sorry Peeves, but I have to get to the tower. I'll see you around." I gave him a small wave before looking at Percy, wordlessly telling him to continue on. He blinked, looking too shocked to do or say anything, but then shook his head and began walking again.

"That was Peeves, you need to watch out for him," he glanced at me, looking slightly unsure now, "Usually the Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him. He wont even listen to us prefects…" he seemed very put off that I, a mere 'Ickle Firsty' could shock Peeves into silence.

"That was bloody brilliant, Rudi." Ron whispered, "I don't think anyone has ever outsmarted Peeves like that."

I looked at him, slightly hurt, "I think Peeves is great." He didn't look convinced, "I do! Ever since I was a little girl I've always looked forward to meeting him."

"Seriously? He looks like a royal pain in the arse to me." Harry said.

"Oh he's not that bad. Nobody has ever really tried to get to know him is all. Everyone is always yelling at him and such."

"He _likes_ being yelled at." Ron tried to explain.

"How do you know? Have you ever asked him if he likes to be yelled at? Have any of your brothers ever asked if he likes to be yelled at? All anyone ever does is yell at him. He probably doesn't even know what it's like to hear a kind word."

"He has now." Ron muttered.

I looked at him with a twinkle in my eye, "Oh, I've barely even got started."

By now we had made it to Gryffindor Tower and entered. Us girls were pointed to the left, and the boys to the right. Hermione and I hurried off to the girls dormitories, leaving Ron and Harry to explore the boys. We entered our dormitory, which we would be sharing with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Upon opening the dorm door they were greeted with the angry hisses of a very cranky, cramped up cat. I sighed and hurried over to the bed that would be mine, where my cat carrying case sat.

"Shut the door." I ordered, as after it was securely shut I opened his carrying case, and he was out like a lightning bolt, running everywhere.

"That cat is insane." Lavender commented.

I nodded in agreement, "Yes, he is. I wanted a dog, but Mum insisted upon a cat."

Checkers finally stopped on my pillows bedding down right there. I put my hands on my hips and looked down at him with narrowed eyes, "If you think for one moment you're going to be staying there, you're going to be in for a rude awakening as soon as I'm ready to go to bed."

He opened on of his eyes to look at me before shutting it and going back to sleep. I huffed and crossed my arms, moving over to my trunk as I muttered rude things about my cat. I glanced at my companions trunks and noted that they were all new, looking as though they had just been washed. I glanced down at mine, which had been my fathers. We hadn't even needed to rewrite the lettering, for we had the same initials. It had been through years of abuse and use. All my things were, actually. My father had trouble keeping a job, and my mother, until recently, was always home with me. She also had poor health, so she too couldn't hold a job, not because they wouldn't keep her, but because she always had to quit because it was too hard on her.

I pulled out a picture of the three of us, my parents and me. we were outside, on the makeshift swing my father had made for me. it was large enough to fit two people, so Mum and Dad were sitting on it, while I lay across their laps, laughing. We were swinging and laughing together, the swing going every which away, with my hair flying everywhere. Dad looked so happy, and this was one of the rare days when he was at his happiest. We had been lucky enough to capture it in a picture, and I had kept it. I was eight in it, small and frail, and the picture had been taken on a new moon, when both my father and I were at our happiest, healthiest points. Mum was still healthy then, too, and we hadn't yet got Checkers from the animal shelter. With a small sigh I sat the picture on my bedside table.

"Is that your parents?" Hermione asked, looking at the picture while she petted Checkers.

I nodded, "Yeah, that was three years ago."

She studied them before commenting, "Your father has a lot of scars."

I looked at him and noted that he did have a lot of scars, though until now I hadn't really noticed. He had always been like that, and it had just been the way I expected him to be. If he were to show up without scars I of course would notice, but I didn't notice when he had them unless someone pointed it out.

"You have a fair few scars too, now that I think about it." Hermione commented.

I ran my hand over my most obvious, and large scar. It was on my hand, and the place where I was bitten. I smaller ones all over my body, from all those full moons. Dad had bigger ones, for he had fought other werewolves, and gotten battle scars. I just got them from play fights with my father and going on too many dangerous adventures.

"Me and my Dad are… adventurous." I replied.

"So, you're, like, a tomboy or something?" the voice of Lavender Brown asked.

I turned to look at her, my eyebrows raised, "If you mean I don't mind getting scratched up and dirty, while also causing loads and loads of trouble, then yes, I am a tomboy." I replied quite bluntly.

"I saw you in the water. Those grindylow could have killed you!" Parvati exclaimed.

"I knew the squid would save me if anything like that happened. I came to Hogwarts once when I was little, when my parents came to visit Hagrid, and I went swimming. Me and the squid became quite good friends." I laughed at the girls' faces.

"You befriend the giant squid, you talk to Peeves like he's a normal human, err, ghost, err, whatever it is he is."

"That would be a poltergeist." I commented.

"Whatever. Anyway, you're doing all sorts of weird things, and you haven't even been here for a full day!" Lavender exclaimed.

"Get use to it, girlie, cause you're going to be seeing a lot more of it." And with a swish of my hair I had turned away and dove back into my trunk to explore and pull out everything I might need in the morning. Upon finding my reading book, which I had in there for days, anxious to make sure I didn't forget, and set it on the bedside table, ready to be read, while also perching my reading glasses on it.

The rest of the night went by smoothly. Lavender and Parvati were making fast friends, sitting on Parvati's bed and chatting about their summers, while I sat on my own bed, having moved Checkers to the side so that he was now cuddled up indo my side, sleeping soundly. Hermione sat at the end of my bed, petting the black and white fur ball absently; reading Hogwarts: A History for what I assumed must be the hundredth time since she got it. I was reading a muggle book called Twilight. It was a book about vampires, and it was so off and wrong, but I loved it.

Finally, once Parvati and Lavender had gone to bed, and Hermione put away her textbook and also went to sleep, I slowly finished the chapter I was on and put it away. I glanced out the window, into the dark night, before blowing out my candle and cuddling down into my blankets. I slowly feel into an uneasy slumber to the sound of Checkers' steady purr.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN:** I didn't realize I hadn't posted this chapter yet! So sorry! And okay, so compared to the last chapter this is a really short chapter, but hey, I liked the spot where I ended it, so there. Hope you like the chapter! R&R!

**Chapter 2**

The first day of classes was a sunny one, and I longed to just go out and play in the lake, even if it was freezing. However, after getting my schedule my longing changed, for the first class on Friday was Double Potions. I felt excitement rush go from my head to my toes. I had always had a passion for the subject, and though my father had told me that Professor Snape would be utterly horrible to me, I didn't care. It would just drive me on farther to prove to the Slytherin that I could do anything. I rushed through the week, doing everything I was told, and quickly earning favor from all my teachers, though not nearly as much as Hermione. She knew everything for every subject, where as I only did for Charms, Transfigurations, and Astronomy. I liked DADA, but it wasn't my calling, and I was more looking forward to learning about dark creatures, though also dreading it, for that would be the time when my secret would most likely get out. Finally, Friday came.

Hermione, Neville and I entered the Potions classroom and found seats, Hermione insisting that we sit in the front. Neville refused to be in the front row, so at settled him into the desk right behind us, and I sat in the front with Hermione, who was ready to get working whenever given permission. I was equally eager, if not more. Potions was my passion, even if my father hadn't let me brew a potion in my entire life. I had read enough books to know as much as any seventh year. Reading and doing were completely different things, but I would work harder than any of his students he had ever taught in his teaching career.

Professor Snape started the class with a role call, and I saw him give me a hard, narrowed look upon saying my name. his eyes sot me out when I said "here" and he held my unwavering gaze for a few moments, his dark, black eyes looking to burn with hate, but I did not quiver. However, he did not comment. He was obviously holding out his attack for Harry, because when he said Harry's name he paused, murmuring softly, "Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Our new—_celebrity_." I had a feeling that this class was going to go badly, and my assumption was correct.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began, speaking softly but keeping us all silent with ease. He had a reputation, and was very intimidating at first glance, though I was quite more to hear what he had to say. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." I felt myself falling into almost a spell at his descriptive words, until he ruined it all with his last comment of us being dunderheads.

"Potter!" he suddenly snapped, and I knew that it was about to begin. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

_That is so easy!_ I thought to myself, _it creates a sleeping draught so powerful we call it the Draught of Living Death._ Harry, however, looked totally lost, glancing at Ron for some sort of answer. Ron looked just as stumped, but Hermione had her hand in the air, wishing to answer. I poked her in the side, trying to tell her wordlessly that it was pointless, but she ignored me.

"I don't know, sir." Harry finally said.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer, "Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything." He continued to ignore Hermione's hand, "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

_In the belly of a goat!_ I mentally screamed. I stamped my foot slightly, giving a small cough, trying to get Harry's attention. He didn't glance my way however, and I sighed in exasperation, flopping back in my chair as he said, "I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

I felt like throwing my textbook at Harry. If he would just look at her, she might be able to help him!

By now Hermione was standing up, waving her hand, but Snape continued to ignore her, "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Finally, I took a piece of paper and threw it at his foot. He glanced over at me and I mouthed, "It's the same thing!"

Harry looked back up at Snape and smirked slightly, "They're the same thing, sir."

Professor Snape snapped his gaze over to me, his eyes flashing dangerously, but I did not flinch. He then glanced at Hermione and snapped, "Sit down." She sat back down quickly, and he moved his glance back to me, "One point from Gryffindor, for cheating."

"I was hardly cheating, sir. I was merely helping a fellow student who was being drilled after doing nothing wrong." I replied, holding his gaze.

"Yes, very much like a wolf would for a pack mate…" he said slowly, and I felt my throat close up, and I barley was able to compose myself before anyone noticed.

"That would be a good metaphor for this situation, yes, Professor." I replied evenly.

"Since you think you're smart enough to help Mr. Potter, perhaps you could answer this other two questions." He challenged.

"Well, if you were to add powdered root of asphodel to a infusion of wormwood, you would create a extremely powerful sleeping potion that is called the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone that can cure almost any poison, and it is found in the belly of a goat. And then, of course, as I told Harry, Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, and it also goes by aconite."

It looked like Snape was about to explode with anger, but I only looked up at him innocently. After all, I was only eleven, how much trouble could I cause? I grinned inwardly at my mental comment. After that he put us into groups to make a potion to cure boils. He towered over us, pointing out any flaws we were making, and even flaws that we weren't making. However, he loved Draco, even if he was doing much worse than Hermione and me. When Neville nearly destroyed Seamus' caldron and dumped a burning potion everywhere, Snape blamed Harry. As class ended, and everyone started filtering out, I made a rash decision, and stayed after.

"Professor Snape, sir?" I asked once the class was empty other than just him and me.

"What do you want, Miss Lupin?" he snapped.

I stepped forward so I stood in front of his desk were he currently sat. "I just wanted to tell you that making that wisecrack about wolves wasn't a smart move."

He looked up from the paper he had been looking at with narrowed eyes, "You, an eleven year old, am telling me what is and isn't a smart move? You had better watch yourself, Miss Lupin, or you may just loose a few more house points for Gryffindor."

I kept my face hard, "I'm serious, sir. I realize you hate my father, and Harry's father as well, but that doesn't give you permission to make our lives a living hell."

"Language, Miss Lupin." He snapped, obviously becoming annoyed.

I sighed, taking a small breath, "I just want you to know that even if you do continue to destroy my life in this class, and likely out of it as well, I'm going to be fighting you ever step of the way."

"You are no threat to me, girl."

I cocked my head to the side, "If that were so, then why are you being so mean, and cruel? Is it some sort of sick game to you, or are you," I paused, wondering if I dared to say it. But hey, this is me we're talking about! "Or are you just jealous of us?"

If he had been expecting something, it obviously hadn't been this. He seemed to have choked on air, and he had to cough a few times before he had enough breath to look at me and speak.

"Why would I be jealous of a bunch of snot-nosed dunderheads like yourselves?" he asked in astonishment.

"No, not of us to you in the here and now, I think you're jealous that we have what you never had. I think you hate that I, and even my father, being what we are, were able to make friends, where as you, someone completely normal, was teased and hated."

Snape was boiling now, shaking with rage as I spoke of his past. I continued however, "But the thing is, Professor, I'm just like you. You hid behind your studies, and I'm just hiding behind my troublemaking. I'm enjoying my life, letting it come as it does, where as you tried too hard. Though you might not see it, I'm terrified. If anyone finds out about me, my whole future will be as good as gone. I'll have nobody, and nothing. I put myself in this position, but I'm not going to wallow in self-pity. I'm getting out there, and trying to prove to everyone—you included—that I'm not someone to be pitied. I can do anything any other kid can do, and perhaps even more in some ways! Your wisecrack in the classroom could easily ruin everything before I can even get it all together! I want a chance to have a life before anyone finds out—for I have no doubt in my mind that someone eventually will find out. You might not have been given that opportunity, but don't you think you should try and let me have it?" I was pouring my soul to this man, and tears were filling my eyes, but I stood tall. Professor Snape looked thunderstruck, not knowing what to say.

I swallowed hard before turning and leaving the dungeon classroom, the tears finally slipping down my face. I knew that what I said wouldn't affect the professor in the classroom, but perhaps it might change his view on me, and himself. I let the tears fall as I sat in a girl's bathroom, and once they were all gone and I was no longer blotchy I headed back to the Gryffindor Tower to do some homework.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN:** I'm glad so many people like the story. I don't really have much else to say, so I'm just going to let you all go ahead and get on with it. R&R!

**Chapter 3**

The first day of classes was a sunny one, and I longed to just go out and play in the lake, even if it was freezing. However, after getting my schedule my longing changed, for the first class on Friday was Double Potions. I felt excitement rush go from my head to my toes. I had always had a passion for the subject, and though my father had told me that Professor Snape would be utterly horrible to me, I didn't care. It would just drive me on farther to prove to the Slytherin that I could do anything. I rushed through the week, doing everything I was told, and quickly earning favor from all my teachers, though not nearly as much as Hermione. She knew everything for every subject, where as I only did for Charms, Transfigurations, and Astronomy. I liked DADA, but it wasn't my calling, and I was more looking forward to learning about dark creatures, though also dreading it, for that would be the time when my secret would most likely get out. Finally, Friday came.

Hermione, Neville and I entered the Potions classroom and found seats, Hermione insisting that we sit in the front. Neville refused to be in the front row, so at settled him into the desk right behind us, and I sat in the front with Hermione, who was ready to get working whenever given permission. I was equally eager, if not more. Potions was my passion, even if my father hadn't let me brew a potion in my entire life. I had read enough books to know as much as any seventh year. Reading and doing were completely different things, but I would work harder than any of his students he had ever taught in his teaching career.

Professor Snape started the class with a role call, and I saw him give me a hard, narrowed look upon saying my name. his eyes sot me out when I said "here" and he held my unwavering gaze for a few moments, his dark, black eyes looking to burn with hate, but I did not quiver. However, he did not comment. He was obviously holding out his attack for Harry, because when he said Harry's name he paused, murmuring softly, "Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Our new—_celebrity_." I had a feeling that this class was going to go badly, and my assumption was correct.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began, speaking softly but keeping us all silent with ease. He had a reputation, and was very intimidating at first glance, though I was quite more to hear what he had to say. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." I felt myself falling into almost a spell at his descriptive words, until he ruined it all with his last comment of us being dunderheads.

"Potter!" he suddenly snapped, and I knew that it was about to begin. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

_That is so easy!_ I thought to myself, _it creates a sleeping draught so powerful we call it the Draught of Living Death._ Harry, however, looked totally lost, glancing at Ron for some sort of answer. Ron looked just as stumped, but Hermione had her hand in the air, wishing to answer. I poked her in the side, trying to tell her wordlessly that it was pointless, but she ignored me.

"I don't know, sir." Harry finally said.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer, "Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything." He continued to ignore Hermione's hand, "Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

_In the belly of a goat!_ I mentally screamed. I stamped my foot slightly, giving a small cough, trying to get Harry's attention. He didn't glance my way however, and I sighed in exasperation, flopping back in my chair as he said, "I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"

I felt like throwing my textbook at Harry. If he would just look at her, she might be able to help him!

By now Hermione was standing up, waving her hand, but Snape continued to ignore her, "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Finally, I took a piece of paper and threw it at his foot. He glanced over at me and I mouthed, "It's the same thing!"

Harry looked back up at Snape and smirked slightly, "They're the same thing, sir."

Professor Snape snapped his gaze over to me, his eyes flashing dangerously, but I did not flinch. He then glanced at Hermione and snapped, "Sit down." She sat back down quickly, and he moved his glance back to me, "One point from Gryffindor, for cheating."

"I was hardly cheating, sir. I was merely helping a fellow student who was being drilled after doing nothing wrong." I replied, holding his gaze.

"Yes, very much like a wolf would for a pack mate…" he said slowly, and I felt my throat close up, and I barley was able to compose myself before anyone noticed.

"That would be a good metaphor for this situation, yes, Professor." I replied evenly.

"Since you think you're smart enough to help Mr. Potter, perhaps you could answer this other two questions." He challenged.

"Well, if you were to add powdered root of asphodel to a infusion of wormwood, you would create a extremely powerful sleeping potion that is called the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone that can cure almost any poison, and it is found in the belly of a goat. And then, of course, as I told Harry, Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, and it also goes by aconite."

It looked like Snape was about to explode with anger, but I only looked up at him innocently. After all, I was only eleven, how much trouble could I cause? I grinned inwardly at my mental comment. After that he put us into groups to make a potion to cure boils. He towered over us, pointing out any flaws we were making, and even flaws that we weren't making. However, he loved Draco, even if he was doing much worse than Hermione and me. When Neville nearly destroyed Seamus' caldron and dumped a burning potion everywhere, Snape blamed Harry. As class ended, and everyone started filtering out, I made a rash decision, and stayed after.

"Professor Snape, sir?" I asked once the class was empty other than just him and me.

"What do you want, Miss Lupin?" he snapped.

I stepped forward so I stood in front of his desk were he currently sat. "I just wanted to tell you that making that wisecrack about wolves wasn't a smart move."

He looked up from the paper he had been looking at with narrowed eyes, "You, an eleven year old, am telling me what is and isn't a smart move? You had better watch yourself, Miss Lupin, or you may just loose a few more house points for Gryffindor."

I kept my face hard, "I'm serious, sir. I realize you hate my father, and Harry's father as well, but that doesn't give you permission to make our lives a living hell."

"Language, Miss Lupin." He snapped, obviously becoming annoyed.

I sighed, taking a small breath, "I just want you to know that even if you do continue to destroy my life in this class, and likely out of it as well, I'm going to be fighting you ever step of the way."

"You are no threat to me, girl."

I cocked my head to the side, "If that were so, then why are you being so mean, and cruel? Is it some sort of sick game to you, or are you," I paused, wondering if I dared to say it. But hey, this is me we're talking about! "Or are you just jealous of us?"

If he had been expecting something, it obviously hadn't been this. He seemed to have choked on air, and he had to cough a few times before he had enough breath to look at me and speak.

"Why would I be jealous of a bunch of snot-nosed dunderheads like yourselves?" he asked in astonishment.

"No, not of us to you in the here and now, I think you're jealous that we have what you never had. I think you hate that I, and even my father, being what we are, were able to make friends, where as you, someone completely normal, was teased and hated."

Snape was boiling now, shaking with rage as I spoke of his past. I continued however, "But the thing is, Professor, I'm just like you. You hid behind your studies, and I'm just hiding behind my troublemaking. I'm enjoying my life, letting it come as it does, where as you tried too hard. Though you might not see it, I'm terrified. If anyone finds out about me, my whole future will be as good as gone. I'll have nobody, and nothing. I put myself in this position, but I'm not going to wallow in self-pity. I'm getting out there, and trying to prove to everyone—you included—that I'm not someone to be pitied. I can do anything any other kid can do, and perhaps even more in some ways! Your wisecrack in the classroom could easily ruin everything before I can even get it all together! I want a chance to have a life before anyone finds out—for I have no doubt in my mind that someone eventually will find out. You might not have been given that opportunity, but don't you think you should try and let me have it?" I was pouring my soul to this man, and tears were filling my eyes, but I stood tall. Professor Snape looked thunderstruck, not knowing what to say.

I swallowed hard before turning and leaving the dungeon classroom, the tears finally slipping down my face. I knew that what I said wouldn't affect the professor in the classroom, but perhaps it might change his view on me, and himself. I let the tears fall as I sat in a girl's bathroom, and once they were all gone and I was no longer blotchy I headed back to the Gryffindor Tower to do some homework.

After arriving back in Gryffindor Tower, Hermione informed me that Harry and Ron had went outside, and she had chosen to stay in and do her homework. I considered going outside as well, for it was a nice day, but then I thought of all my homework that I would regret not having done earlier. With a sigh I headed towards my dormitory. However, before I could hit the stairs, three bodies blocked my way. I looked up at the three third years who I had met on the train, Fred, George, and Lee Jordon.

"Hey there, Rudi." George said slowly, steering me away from the stairs.

"Hi George…" I said suspiciously.

"I'm not George, he is." The redhead said, pointing to his twin.

I rolled my eyes, "No, you are. Fred's nose is slightly crooked.

The twin who had been standing beside Lee grabbed his nose, "It is not, its perfect!"

I grinned, "Ah, so you _are_ Fred."

He opened his mouth, then a look of confusion crossed his face, and he exchanged glances with George before looking at me and narrowing his eyes, smirking slightly.

"Oh, you're good."

I smirked before putting on a serious face, "But seriously, what do you want?"

The three boys shared glances, and as evil grins spread across their faces I started to get a bad feeling in my gut.

"We… were planning something, but we can't do it without some… _womanly_ influences." Fred said slowly. I glanced between the three, knowing that whatever they were wanting me to do would cause a lot of trouble. A grin slowly spread across my face.

"Let the games begin."


	5. Chapter 4

**AN:** sorry peoples, didn't even realize I hadn't posted this chapter yet. Please forgive me! R&R!

I slowly entered the girl's lavatory on the second floor, already hearing the moans of the ghost that resigned there. I knew she was no threat unless angered—I just had to be careful not to anger her. She was floating around, moaning to herself about how horrible her life was, and I stepped right up to her, my hands behind me back. Though I put on a brave, cheery face, inside I was going crazy. This had been one thing that I hadn't wanted to do, but of course, I being the only girl, and this being a girls bathroom, it only made sense that I was the one to get her alliance.

"Hello Myrtle." I said with a smile.

She turned on me, furrowing her brows, "_Who _are _you_?"

"I'm Rudi Lupin, and I've heard a lot about you."

He growled, "Yes, all about ugly, stupid, moping, moaning Myrtle."

I forged a look of shock, "Who has ever said that to you?"

"Everyone." She sniffed.

I frowned, "Well they're a bunch of ruddy jealous buggers they are."

She blinked, "You really think so?"

"I don't think, I know! Heck, I'll even admit that I'm jealous, and I'm not one to get jealous easily."

She blushed, though it just made her white cheeks slightly gray. Obviously, she wasn't used to being complemented.

"You're nice, Rudi."

I shrugged, "I'm just speaking the truth." _I'm such a liar…_

I spent a good hour or so, just talking to her, and I admit that, once you got passed her somewhat viscous demeanor, she was a nice person to talk to. I, of course, had to be careful at how I worded things, in fear that I might offend her, but if I did slip up she didn't seem to mind that much. I felt that, perhaps I was bringing out a whole new Myrtle.

"Myrtle…" I said slowly, now acting rather nervous and unsure.

She was instantly at alert, "What is it Rudi? What's wrong?"

"Well… it's just that there are a few Slytherins who have been rather, well, mean to me…" I trailed off, looking down sadly.

She was in my face in an instant, "Who are they, Rudi? Just tell me names, and I'll be on them so quickly they won't know what hit them!"

I looked up quickly, "Oh no, I don't want to hurt them. Of course, they would deserve it, but it would just make me sink to their level."

She looked to be disappointed, so I added slowly, "I want to do something a bit… different." After explaining my plan to her she grinned widely, and I admit it was a very scary smile.

"Oh, I like that. I like that a lot."

And so, our plan was slowly taking form…

000

Fred, George, and Lee waited for me in the Gryffindor Common Room, looking quite bored. When I finally walked in they pounced, like three cats would on a mouse.

"Bloody hell, what took you so long?" Lee demanded.

I huffed, "Well excuse me, but I thought it best that we become friends before I ask her to help me with something like this."

"Yeah, but you've been gone for _hours_!" George cried, throwing his arms into the air, as if that might get the point across to me.

"Yeah? Well you try befriending an oversensitive ghost, and then talk to me." I snapped, causing the boys to quiet.

"Well… good job." Fred finally said, sounding slightly awkward after the long silence.

I shrugged, "She was actually pretty nice, once you get to know her."

Lee shuddered, "Right, the problem is actually getting to know her. When I tried to talk to her last year, she freaked out and overflowed the girl's bathroom, throwing toilet paper at me."

I looked at him for a moment before asking, "Did you by any chance call her 'Moaning Myrtle'?"

He nodded, "Yeah, that's her name, isn't it?"

I sighed and ran a hand over my face, "If you're trying to get to know her, you're not supposed to call her that! She hates that name. You are supposed to just call her Myrtle."

He threw his hands up in the air as Fred and George turned on him, "How was I to know?! I don't know what girls want!"

"Obviously." George muttered.

"Okay, let's get back to business, shall we?" Fred said, changing the subject from Lee's idiocy to our current job.

"Okay, so what's next?" I asked.

George pulled out a piece of parchment, "Well, Fred got all of the potion ingredients; we have Myrtle, who'll help us for sure. Lee and I found the spells we need from the restricted section… now all we need is Peeves…" all three boys turned to look at me.

"Why is it I'm always the one with the hard jobs?"

"Oh come on, Rudi, you like Peeves!" Lee begged.

"Yes, I do. But I don't think he likes me all that much, and plus, he's nearly impossible to find when you're actually looking for him." I said.

"I'm sure you could get Ron to help." Fred suggested.

I made a face, "No offense or anything, but I think I'd rather ask help from Malfoy."

The twins laughed, "Why, what'd he do?"

"Oh nothing, he's just has a huge mouth and would end up telling someone, and then the whole thing would be ruined. At least if Malfoy told someone he would have done it on purpose."

"What about that Hermione girl you hang out with?" George tried.

"No, I like her and all, but she sticks to the rules far too much. She'd be scolding me the whole time."

"I'm sure you'll find someone." Fred said reasonably.

I nodded slightly, "Yeah, you're right. I'll have to find Peeves later, though. I have a letter that I've been putting off writing."

The boys grinned. "What'd you do?" Lee asked.

I shrugged, flashing them a grin, "Oh, I'm sure jumping in the lake and nearly getting killed by grindylows might make my dad a little anxious. It'd be better if he learned of the incident from me, rather than Hagrid though. I love the big oaf, but he'd over exaggerate the whole ordeal."

The twins grinned, "Why didn't we ever think of doing that?" they asked each other, obviously interested in the idea of causing so much trouble on the first night there.

"You just aren't geniuses' like me." I replied, ducking away as one of them threw a pillow at my head. I laughed and left, going up to my dorm because they could throw anything else.

I entered my dorm to see that I was alone, and I sighed with slight relief. I didn't mind my dorm mates, but they could be quite overwhelming at times. Hermione was just too smart, and she showed it off, which annoyed my other dorm mates. The other two, Lavender and Parvati were too giggly, gossipy, and girl for my taste, and they enjoyed doing makeovers—me, being the only girl who wasn't a frizzy haired bookworm in their dorm, was their prime target. Having time of my own was blessing. Heck, even just being with the twins and Lee was tiring. I, having grown up with just my parents, wasn't entirely used to so many people my age. I enjoyed my alone time.

I sat down on my bed, pulling my book bag from the floor at the same time, so when I sat it was in my lap. I leaned against my pillows, putting my bag beside me, on the opposite side of my nightstand. I pulled out a piece of parchment, a book to write on, an old quill, and a bottle of ink, which I sat on the bedside table. I dipped my quill into the ink bottle, readying it for the letter I would write to my parents. I was sure someone had told them by now, but they always liked to hear both sides, so I would tell it as best I could. Taking a small breath to help simulate my brain with oxygen, I put the quill point to the paper…

I finished my letter just as Hermione entered her face red with anger. I glanced at my watch, seeing that it was well past midnight. I had realized I'd skipped dinner, and that my other two roommates had fallen asleep, but I hadn't known that it was so late. I could vaguely remember Hermione getting ready for bed, and then leaving, not coming back.

"Hey, where were you? And what's wrong?" I questioned, setting the letter on my nightstand and looking at her with concerned eyes.

Hermione shot me a look, looked away for a second, and then looked back at me, hurrying to my bed and pulling the curtains shut, to muffle their voices. "I went out to try and stop Harry and Ron from going to have a wizard's duel with Malfoy." She replied in a whisper.

I furrowed my brows, "Why on earth would they do something so idiotic? Don't they realize that the chances of getting caught were too high to count?"

Hermione nodded, "That's exactly what I told them, but they wouldn't listen! I followed them out, and when I went to go back into the common room the Fat Lady was gone. I had no choice but to follow, and we found Neville was also locked out, so he came as well. We were almost caught by Filch, Peeves being no help, and then we were almost killed by a giant three headed dog that's locked up on the third floor corridor! They didn't even see the trap door it was standing on." The bushy haired girl was quite angry and frustrated, I could tell.

My eyes brightened, "A three headed dog? Do you realize how rare those are?"

Hermione stared at me, her eyes asking me if it looked like she cared. I ducked my head, "Sorry, I'm just kinda obsessed with magical creatures…"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. She was probably thinking of her own academic obsessions. After we chatted a bit more about how stupid the boys were got into our beds. After such a long day, for me plotting, flying practice, classes, and writing a letter for hours, I was tired beyond reason. As I blew out my candle the last thing on my mind was the three headed dog. I didn't know how, or when even, but I would make sure to become equated with the large beast.


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: **okay, very sorry for taking so long. I kinda lost my muse for awhile there. Some downright nasty things have happened here, so I wasn't really in the mood to write. To make things short my eldest sister died in November and my oldest aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer only a few days before said sister's death. So yeah, thing haven't exactly been easy here. But then last night I watched Harry Potter 3 and decided I needed to get back to my writings, and this is what I came up with. Hope you all like it. R&R!

**Chapter 5**

A week passed, and I continued my plotting with the twins. We were hoping to have everything planned out before Halloween, and so if we kept that deadline we would have to work hard. Peeves, somehow sensing we were looking for him, had made a point of avoiding me, Fred, George, and Lee. Without him our current plans would not work, and we would also have to think of a second plan, in case he decided to desert us. I didn't doubt him, but the twins and Lee clamed he often did that to them, so it was better to be safe than sorry. Because of all my homework and plotting I had yet to investigate the three headed dog.

It was the Friday of the next week when a long package came for Harry. He seemed very excited after reading the note that came with it, and he and Ron hurried off. Hermione and I followed, mostly because Hermione wanted to scold them, for we both knew what was in the package. Nothing was shaped like that other than a broomstick. I felt woozy as we followed up the many flights of stairs, and I wished to just go to class, but Hermione pressed on. In three days it would be the full moon, so of course I felt sick. Hermione was oblivious to me, however.

"Well, its true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team…"

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" Hermione shot out angrily as we came up behind the two boys, casting a disapproving gaze at the package Harry held.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" Harry said, sounding almost disappointed.

"Yes, don't stop now it's doing us so much good." Ron added, and I saw a flash of hurt enter Hermione's eyes, though she did not show it on her face.

Despite my feeling sick I put a glare on my face and made a move that looked as though I was going to hit the boys. Ron almost toppled over in alarm as I glared daggers at him and Harry both.

"Grow up, the both of you. Just because you have as much brains as a rock put together doesn't mean you have to be so rude in your jealous states." I hissed, turning and leaving with Hermione, whose nose was stuck up in the air. Just before we turned the corner I saw that both boys still had their mouth's hanging open in shock. Hermione sent me a grateful glance almost every second and halfway through Charms I finally snapped at her that enough was enough. She didn't have to wordlessly thank me every second, because I knew she would have done the same thing for me.

The Monday after I was feeling worse for ware and right after Potions, a class I knew I would be forced to endure, I went straight to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion to prevent me form changing any sooner and let me lie down and rest all through lunch. After lunch I finished up my classes, still feeling sick, and then went straight to the Gryffindor Tower. Upon entering I spotted the twins and Lee, and though I tried to get passed them without them noticing me I failed miserably. They waved me over and I had no choice but to comply. As soon as I reached them my legs would no longer hold me and I fell onto the couch.

"You're white as a sheet, Rudi, you feeling okay?" Fred asked, looking quite concerned.

I waved him off, leaning my head back and resting my eyes, "I'm fine, just feeling a little under the weather is all." I replied, though my voice betrayed me as it shook slightly.

"Do you think you should see Madam Pomfrey?" Lee questioned.

I shook my head, "I already saw her at lunch. She gave me a potion and let me lay down, but she couldn't do anything else. She told me to rest for the remainder of the day."

"We were supposed to be looking for Peeves though." George objected.

"If I see him, I'll let you know." I replied dully.

The boys laughed. "I'm not sure you'll be seeing anything with your eyes shut." Fred laughed, poking me in the side, which emitted a squeak as I felt shivers go down my spine. I opened my eyes and saw his twinkling. He had found my ticklish spot, and he knew it.

"Fred… I'm sick, don't do what you're thinking…" I slowly pushed myself from the chair, struggling to stay up in my weak state. His eyes still shone mischievously, but he seemed to have chosen not to attack just yet, for he did not follow.

I picked up my heavy book bag and hurried towards my bedroom. Upon entering I dropped my bag unceremoniously and flopped down onto my bed. I felt horrible, but then I always did on the day of the full moon. The sickness kept me in bed just before dinner, and by then I knew I needed to leave, for Madam Pomfrey had told me to meet her in the infirmary after dinner. I, not being hungry, went straight there. We left the castle together, and she put me through the hole under the Womping Willow. I followed the tunnel until I had reached the Shrieking Shack. It was an unpleasant place, everything old, dusty, and slightly moldy. I didn't like it at all, but then I would only need to be here once every month, so it wasn't such a big deal.

I spent the rest of the night in there, morphing into the dreaded werewolf form that I'd always been. This was, however, my first moon by myself. I did not like it at all, and I felt quite lonely. With nobody there to keep me company I felt lonelier than ever. Hogwarts didn't feel like my home, but I supposed no place would be my home if I couldn't confine in anyone. I didn't know who I could trust, and who was merely masquerading as a friend. All I knew was that I had to be careful. If I was discovered, I could only hope it was by a friend, whatever that may be.

The next month went by quickly. Fred, George, Lee, and I were very disappointed when we were unable to find Peeves in time for Halloween. We had planned to stur up some trouble with the Slytherin, which involved a lot of floating sticks, a flooded corridor, and some spells that turn your hair pink for a week. However, without Peeves there to help it would be impossible. So, after all our planning, the prank was called off. However, we kept the plans for future reference, perhaps for next Halloween…

I made a point of visiting Myrtle at least twice a week at the least, and she seemed to be growing happier with each visit. Everyone who knew about her thought I was insane. Imagine, befriending both Moaning Myrtle and Peeves! They were wrong about the Peeves part, however. The troublemaker had made a point of avoiding me at all costs. I believe he didn't enjoy not getting reactions out of me I couldn't help that he intrigued me though. The next full moon was just as bad as the first, but I managed to feel better by Halloween. I had always loved holidays at home, and Hogwarts seemed just as good. We awoke to the smell of baking punkins, and in charms were finally getting to levitate things. Of course, it was just a feather, but it was better than nothing, wasn't it? We were put into pares, Harry with Seamus Finnigan, while Hermione and Ron were to work together. They both look absolutely murderous, and I couldn't blame them. They hated each other, and Hermione hadn't spoken a word to them in a little over a month. I was placed with Neville. This class would be interesting.

We were all having trouble, and though I managed to make the feather shake and move about an inch into the air, that was all I could do, even with all my concentration focused on it. Neville looked close to hyperventilating, and so I had to try and sooth him. Though I calmed him his feather still lay perfectly still, having not moved even a millimeter.

"You're saying it wrong," I hear Hermione snap, probably to Ron, who I'd seen waving his wand around like a windmill a few moments before. "It's Win-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

I watched as Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" the feather floated about four feet over their heads, and Professor Flitwick was very impressed. Ron looked very angry indeed.

Hermione and I were exiting the Charms classroom when we heard the loud, obnoxious voice of Ronald Wesley. "It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly."

Before I could say anything Hermione was hurrying off, tears streaming down her face. She bumped into Harry, and I barley heard him say, "I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, and that was enough to send me off. I started moving fast towards the two. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

I grabbed the boy's shoulder and swung him around, and before he could mutter a single word my fist had connected with his face. He went flying to the ground, blood dripping from his nose, and I stood towering over him, my hands balled into fists at my sides.

"You foul prick, how can you possibly be so cruel? You're just as bad as Malfoy! If we weren't at school I'd give you more than that bloody nose, you bloody idiot!" I kicked his foot and stormed off, hitting my shoulder into Harry's as I passed, and once again leaving the boys speechless.

I went into the girl's bathroom, knowing that Hermione would be in there. I could hear the soft sobs coming from one of the cubicles, and softly I knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Hermione's broken voice cried out.

"Hermione, will you let me in?" I asked softly, and a few moments later the door was pulled open and allowing me to enter. I looked at her as she sat on the toilet, her face in her hands and her hair messier than usually, probably from running her hands through it and tears getting into it.

"Don't worry Hermione, I took care of Ron. He'll think twice before messing with you again." I reassured, trying to get a small laugh from her.

"What did you do?" she asked, talking into her hands.

"Lets just say his face is going to be sore for a little while." I replied, grinning. Hermione glanced up at me and smiled as well, though it was small, but it was better than nothing.

"You shouldn't have done that, Rudi. You'll get in trouble."

I shook my head, "They're too scared to go and tell."

I stayed with her for the rest of the day, chasing off anyone who dared bother us and comforting her when the tears came once again. Though I knew we would both get in trouble for not going to our classes—especially potions—I didn't care. Hermione was never late, so she would get off easy, and as for potions, she didn't need to deal with the snake today. If he picked up even the slightest hint of sadness or vulnerability in her, he would take advantage of it. That's why I didn't make her go to classes. I personally didn't care if I got in trouble. I would deal with it. I just had to stay with my friend, because if I left she would truly feel as if Ron's words were true. It wasn't until dinner, the Halloween feast, that I left.

"You go on ahead. I'll be out in a bit." Hermione told me.

I wasn't totally convinced. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "I just need to clean myself up a bit."

I nodded slowly, "If you're sure…"

I left feeling skeptical, but told myself that if she wasn't out in ten minutes I'd go and get her.

The Great Hall was wonderful, and I felt like I was going to die when I saw all the bats. They were gorgeous! I wanted to just hug them, but they probably weren't very tame, and I didn't want to get bitten. One of them might be a werebat and I'd turn into something between a bat and a wolf ever full moon. And yes, that was a joke.

I had just sat down, being one of the last people to arrive to the feast, when Professor Quirrell came running into the hall, looking as if he'd seen Lord Voldemort himself, his face curled in pure terror. He reached Professor Dumbledore, leaned against the table, and gasped out, "Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

The hall was then filled with screams, the students horrified to no end. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence to the hall once again.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

At hearing this Percy instantly took action. "Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

I, however, was ignoring Percy as I watched the teachers. As soon as everything started up I saw Professor Snape slipping away, and the curious part of me couldn't help but want to know what he was up to. It was easy to slip away, for the chaos was a perfect cover, and soon I was slipping out the same door Snape had taken. I moved down the passage quickly, trying to catch up with the Professor. After going through many hallways, and taking some lucky turns, I found the Professor finally. I realized too late that we were going to the third floor. What was Snape doing on the third floor?

I watched from a distance as Snape entered the right wing corridor, and slowly I followed. Peeking inside the corridor my breath left me. I was seeing one of the rarest, most extraordinary creatures in the world. The large, dark, three headed dog slowly roused from its sleep and, upon spotting Snape, began to growl low in his chest. I knew at that moment that it would be a good idea to hide, because Snape would not be getting past that dog. Just as I pushed myself behind a statue, Professor Quirrell came down the hallway, just as Professor Snape was leaving the corridor, his leg bloody. I was too far away to hear what they said, but I could tell Snape was anything but happy, and Quirrell looked… scared, yet there was something in his eyes that stumped me. The small glint in them was almost… _angry_. Before I could sort it out, however, they had turned and were moving down the hallway, and as I followed I saw them meet up with McGonagall, before continuing. I, thinking my luck of not getting caught would soon end, decided to head to Gryffindor Tower and think about what had happened.


End file.
